1. Field
The present invention relates to surgery. More particularly, the invention relates to bone plates, instruments, and methods for internal orthopedic fixation in mammals.
2. State of the Art
Orthopedic plates are known for treating traumatic bone injuries in humans and other mammals. With respect to human treatment, significant development has been made in designing plates that are less of a general elongate form, but rather are more particularly adapted to the specific bones for which they are intended. That is, there has been a trend toward developing anatomical plates. In an anatomical plate, the bone-contacting surface of the plate closely fits the surface contours of the bone to which the plate is specifically adapted. These plates are generally provided in two versions of mirrored symmetry for use on the bones of the left and right sides of the body.
While good results have been reported with such anatomical plates, their use requires that treatment centers maintain a large inventory of different plates, each adapted for the different bones of the body, bones of different sizes, and the left and right sides of the body. The maintenance of such an extensive inventory can be costly, which is a significant disadvantage for treatment centers that may use certain plates with only a low frequency.
Further, while for a human population, the expense of a costly inventory often can be justified or required, animal populations do not benefit from such luxury. Veterinary surgical plates are often more basic than their human counterparts, of a general purpose, and not well adapted to the anatomical contours of the bone.